Have you ever wanted to tan your own hide? There are many different methods to braintan a deer hide - or at least many variations on the same basic process. For example, the hair can be removed by a wet-scrape or dry-scrape process, and the hide can be softened by hand-pulling or by racking and staking. These methoods are all covered in the videos The Tanning Spirit and The Ancient Art of Tanning Buckskin, both included on Disc Two: Hide Tanning, in the Stone Age Video Classics Series on DVD. Other common variations include methods such as fresh-scraping a hide, bucking the hides with substances like Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), or pre-smoking the hide at some point before or duing the softening process. Anyone who tans hidess long enough will develop their own unique twist on the process, and develop a preference for certain types and styles of tools.

Melvin Beattie, featured in The Tanning Spirit, was one of a handful of people who helped recover the nearly lost art of braintanning hides. Working largely through trial and error over many years, he developed an all natural wet-scrape process that doesn't require chemicals like KOH, which can potentially weaken the final product.

Do you want to tan a deer hide or order finished braintan buckskin? Check out the links below for articles, videos, and sources of raw and finished deer hides.